New Kawasaki H2R Tops 210 mph!

Well, it appears the H2R’s speed capabilities are commensurate with the hype.

“I went 210mph on it today,” said Kawasaki test rider and racer Jeremy Toye on his Instagram account on October 2, accompanied by a picture of an H2R. “The wings really work.”

This is a clear indication that Kawasaki, at least for the track-only H2R, is not bound by the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” between Japanese OEMs that, in 2000, restricted the top speeds of their motorcycles to 300 kph (186 mph). Interestingly, numerous sources inside Kawasaki tell us that 210 mph is not the actual top speed of the new H2R – the real number is still somewhat north of that figure!

Backing up that outlandish claim was an Instagram posting from Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) test rider, Derek Keyes, who uploaded a picture of a bloodied helmet.

“Hazards of the job,” he wrote. “Hit a bird at over 200 mph! Thanks to @shoeihelmetsusa for making such a badass helmet and keeping me safe in every aspect of my job!”

So, where could an H2R be ridden faster than 210 mph? Keyes’ Facebook timeline says he is near Marysville, Ohio, which is in the vicinity of the 7.5-mile oval at the Transportation Research Center.

Okay, so a non-street-legal motorcycle with something close to 300 hp being able to exceed 210 mph doesn’t sound like much of a stretch. What will be interesting is to see how much heat the non-R H2, which we suspect is going to be announced as an upcoming street-legal variant, will be packing. Our moles lead us to believe the regular H2 is also unlikely to have any sort of speed limiter, as the entire H2 project’s internal motto was “What would you do if you could build a bike truly without limits?” What would you do indeed.